Kimchi

I love vegetable ferments! For one thing, they taste incredible! And in addition, eating a little bit daily is an easy way to get lots of probiotics into your digestive tract- WAY helpful as we are living in such and antibiotic world these days! And they are SIMPLE to make! And they are LIVE! So...what are you waiting for?

Following is my version of non-traditional kimchi.

As far as equipment all you need is a large container with a wide opening, something to cover the opening- like a plate, and something heavy to weight down the plate- like a glass jar filled with water, or a heavy can, or a rock. (AND- if you don't have all of that, a glass jar with a lid will be just fine.)

It's best to make it in a glass jar or ceramic crock- not as great in metal or plastic, simply because those are more likely to leech things you don't want into your kimchi.

The coolest thing about fermenting stuff in your home is that you are truly creating one of a kind food, made of bacteria in your environment- some of which actually grew on you!

OK- here's the recipe...

Ingredients (this will make a gallon- use less if you have a smaller container)

3 heads of cabbage (go for a variety- napa, red, savoy, whatever you like)
1 large daikon
12" burdock root
1 turnip or black radish
2 carrots
2 beets
2 handfuls dried hijiki
1 apple
1 pear
4" ginger
8 cloves garlic
1 t. cayenne pepper
a few handfuls celtic sea salt, or your favorite unrefined salt

Procedure:

1. Chiffonade the cabbage. (Slice finely)

2. Grate the carrots and daikon finely. (use a madolin- it's fun and looks nice)

3. Thinly slice the burdock, beets, turnip or radish, apple, and pear on the mandolin. It's nice to do each one in a bit of a different shape, so that when the kimchi is fermented and everything is the same color, you can differentiate what you are eating. It also looks great! (For example, cut the beet in half moons, the radish in quarters before you thinly slice.)

4. Mince the garlic and ginger.

5. Combine equal amounts of each ingredient in a few large mixing bowls- it's a lot to work with, so you'll need a few bowls. for smaller batches, use one bowl.

6. Add a handful of salt and a bit of cayenne to each bowl, along with a handful of hijiki, and begin to mix everything together with your hands. This is where the fun really begins! The art here is that you really get to add your energy in, by taking time to massage your kimchi. Think loving thoughts. Think about whatever you want to put into this batch of kimchi...fun, joy, sensuality, etc. As you massage them, the veggies will begin to release liquid. This is exactly what you are looking for!

7. When everything is well combined, taste it to see if it seems spicy enough, salty enough. Use your intuition. It will taste less salty when it's done fermenting, though the spiciness will probably remain the same. Add anything you think it needs.

8. Now it's time to stuff the kimchi into your crock or jar. Pack it in tightly and continue to press it down as much as you can while you fill the container. When you have put all of the kimchi in the container, continue to press it down. Most likely there will be liquid that covers the veggies. This is good news! If not, that's okay too.

9. Place a plate on top of the kimchi. The plate should be in contact with the veggies, ideally just fitting inside the edges of your container, so it can press the veggies down, yet not allow them to be exposed to oxygen. The goal is for all of the kimchi to remain under the brine, (which is the liquid produced by the veggies). This will allow safe fermentation, and will prevent mold. To keep the plate pressing the kimchi down, place your weight on top of the plate. It's okay if the liquid rises over the plate, as long as the veggies are covered by the brine. Place a towel over the whole container and set it somewhere kinda out of the way- somewhere that you will remember to check it every day or two. (If you are simply using a glass jar, make sure your veggies are under the brine, and keep a lid on the jar. When you check it daily, make sure to press the veggies to keep them under the brine. This just takes a little more diligence if you don't have a weight pressing down on the veggies- still easy!)

10. Visit the kimchi every day or two. Make sure it is covered by brine. If not, add a little water. When you visit, remove the plate and press the kimchi down. Talk to your kimchi. Sing to it. If there is any surface mold, simply remove it. After a few days begin to taste the kimchi. You can taste it daily to see how it changes. Everyone has different ideas about how long to let it ferment- it's really up to you and how you like it. One guideline is somewhere between 4 days and 4 weeks.

11. When the kimchi has reached the taste you love, it's time to bottle it up and put it in the fridge. The temperature of the refrigerator will slow the fermentation process to an imperceptible rate- so that you can enjoy your kimchi for several months or more!

12. Celebrate and invite your friends for a kimchi party!

For more info on fermentation, my favorite source is Sandor Katz. He wrote the book Wild Fermentation as well as the book The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. His website is www.wildfermentation.com

Enjoy making vegetable ferments and I'd love to hear your fermentation tips and experiences.

Love,
Savrah